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Personal Statement

I believe that every person can benefit from receiving counseling at some point in their lives. We all face struggles with achieving our goals, understanding and overcoming our past hurts, or resolving conflict with others. It can be extremely helpful to have a compassionate, objective person to talk to when these issues arise.

Who I Serve

I work with children, adolescents, parents, and adults of all ages on various issues, both individually or in group settings. I particularly enjoy working with adolescents, young adults, and women. In addition, before joining Cherry Hill, I worked in various settings with foster and adoptive children & families. Working with this population is still my passion and an area that I strive to maintain competency in. I am a certified instructor of a parenting model that helps adoptive children and families called Beyond Consequences). I continue to offer this 10-week course on a regular basis at Cherry Hill.

Treatment Specialties and Competencies

Adoption-specific issues

Attachment disorders

Anxiety disorders

Depression

Self-Injury

Women’s Issues

Parenting

Family Conflict

Anger Management

Faith-based Problems

Theoretical Approach

I truly enjoy developing a caring, supportive relationship with each client. This connection can then be the foundation for facilitating understanding, growth, and positive change. I enjoy working with clients to identify their strengths and develop realistic, achievable goals. I utilize many therapeutic tools based on the individual needs of each client including cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, family systems, and mindfulness/meditation techniques.

Education

Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the State of Illinois since 2004

Masters of Social Work (MSW) degree in 2002 from Jane Addams College of Social Work, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW) degree in 1998 from Taylor University, Upland, IN

Experience

For the first 8 years of my career, I worked with traumatized, abused, and neglected children in the foster care system as a case manager, intake worker, and licensing supervisor. During my Master’s level internship, I worked at the Children’s Advocacy Center of North and Northwest Cook County. This is where I first discovered my love and passion for therapy. Providing short-term counseling to child sexual abuse victims was rewarding as I saw these children overcome their traumatic experiences. I then worked as an in-home therapist for over 3 years with post-adoptive families who were dealing with many severe and difficult behaviors due to their past histories of trauma and neglect. Since 2008, I have worked as a therapist in private practice at Cherry Hill Center. I have been able to broaden my knowledge and experience while working with a variety of clients in this arena. In December of 2011, my husband and I became parents to a baby boy. I now provide therapy on a part-time basis so that I can be home with my son for part of the time.